The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District began circulating petitions on buses Wednesday night to garner student support for a referendum that would expand routes and services.

On the March ballot, the proposal will ask for a $12 increase in student transportation fees.

A contract has existed between the University and the MTD since 1989, and every three years, it has been renegotiated. Using campus transit studies, in addition to other recommendations and concerns, MTD devised a plan and presented it to the Illinois Student Senate, said Tom Costello, chief operating officer at MTD.

The senate supported the proposed changes and agreed to put the referendum on the ballot.

“This is the best plan to move forward with the MTD contract,” said Jaclyn O’Day, student body president.

The MTD plans to consolidate and change the 21, 23, 24 and 26 bus routes. This new system is accompanied by an altered 22 Illini route, which would extend further north on Lincoln Avenue in order to service Capstone Quarters Condominiums, which are located just south of Interstate 74.

Late-night service, increased access to the downtown areas of Champaign and Urbana and less bus traffic on Wright Street are other aspects of the plan.

“On paper, the proposal looks good,” said Associate Chancellor Peg Rawles. “It’s more easily understood, more direct. It’s an improvement in service.”

The current contract with MTD costs approximately $3.5 million, and the new contract will be a $1 million increase.

“It’s reasonable for the amount of service students receive,” O’Day said. “The transportation fee is the one students use the most.”

Cheriz Kunkel, senior in LAS, said she would be fine with an increase in fees if they were accompanied by an increase in service as well.

“The limitations and boundaries of the routes are too small,” she said.

Every three years, when the contract is up for renegotiation, a referendum is placed on the ballot to see if students support an increase in fees to cover interest and any additional service, Costello said.

“This year is different because we are spending more time on (the renegotiation),” Costello said.

Usually when a referendum is proposed, 7 percent of the student body must sign a petition, stating they support the placement of the referendum on the ballot, O’Day said.

The petition signatures are not actually necessary, but the Illinois Student Senate has decided to get the signatures to show the Board of Trustees that they have student support for the referendum.

O’Day said she wrote a letter to the MTD asking for their aid in getting signatures.

Sharita Gatlin, senior in LAS, said she was on one of the buses that distributed the petition.

“I had my friend explain to me what it said, but I probably should have read it for myself,” she said.

Gatlin said, however, that when the referendum appears on the ballot, she will support an increase in fees for better service.

Ultimately, the contract with the MTD is between the company and the Board of Trustees, Rawles said. The response of students will be given some weight in the Board’s final decision regarding the contract.

“The Board has the final say,” O’Day added. “They will look at whether students vote for or against the referendum, and that will impact the contract with MTD.”